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Beef Braised in Barolo

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are adapted fromLidia's Italyby Lidia Bastianich. It's part of a special menu created by Lidia Bastianich and Mario Batali for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

Stufato al Barolo

Barolo is the king of Italian reds, a big wine, full of flavors, aromas, and lots of tannins. When you braise a beef shoulder or other big roast in a good Barolo, these elements permeate the meat and create a distinctive and complex sauce. Even if you are thousands of miles away, there's no doubt you will be transported to Piemonte for a few hours while the beef cooks to melting tenderness.

When you actually get to visit Piemonte, be sure to enjoy the region's renowned beef, from the Fassone breed of cattle, which yields lean and yet delicious meat. In addition to stufato al Barolo, Fassone beef served raw in carpaccio or steak tartare will be often on menus. In the fall, when the white truffle is in season, these dishes will be served with shavings of tartufo. This is food that we just can't replicate at home—I hope you get to Piemonte and savor it in situ.

A heavy 6-quart saucepan or enameled cast-iron French oven, round or oval, with a cover; select a pot in which the roast will fit with no more than 2 inches of space around it—the less space in the pot, the less wine you'll need

A meat thermometer

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Preparation

Heat the oven, with a rack in the center, to 250°F.

Season all surfaces of the roast with 1 teaspoon salt. Pour the olive oil into the big pan, and set over medium-high heat. Lay the roast in, and brown it on each side for a minute or two, without moving, until caramelized all over. Remove to a platter.

Still over medium-high heat, drop in the cut vegetables and garlic cloves, toss to coat with oil, and spread out in the pan. Drop in the rosemary, sage leaves, grated nutmeg, peppercorns, dried porcini, and remaining teaspoon salt, and toss all together. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping up the browned meat bits on the pan bottom, just until the vegetables soften, then lower the heat.

Push the vegetables to the sides, and return the roast to the pan, laying flat on the bottom. Pour in the three bottles of wine and any meat juices that collected on the platter. The roast should be at least half submerged—add beef stock as needed.

Cover the pot, and heat until the wine is steaming but not boiling. Uncover the pan, and place it in the oven. After 30 minutes, rotate the roast so the exposed meat is submerged in the braising liquid. Braise this way, turning the meat in the pan every 30 minutes, for about 3 hours, until fork-tender. The liquid should not boil&151;if it does, pour in some cold water to stop the bubbling, and lower the oven temperature.

After 4 1/2 hours or so, check the beef with a meat thermometer. When its internal temperature reaches 180°F—it should be easily pierced with a fork—take the pan from the oven. Remove the meat to a platter, with intact carrot and celery pieces to serve as a garnish.

Skim any fat from the braising juices, heat to a boil, and reduce to a saucy consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Pour through a sieve set over a clean container. Press in the juices from the strained herbs and vegetable pieces. Pour in any juices from the meat platter, and season the sauce to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (If you are not going to serve right away, put the meat and reserved vegetables in the sauce to rest and cool, for a couple of hours or overnight.)

To serve, slice the meat crosswise (easier when it is cool). Pour a shallow layer of sauce in a wide skillet, and lay the slices in, overlapping. Heat the sauce to bubbling, spooning it over the beef, so the slices are lightly coated. Lift them with a broad spatula, and slide onto a warm platter, fanned out. Heat the carrots and celery in the sauce too, if you've saved them, and arrange on the platter. Serve, passing more heated sauce at the table.

Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York.

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Recent Reviews

I think the picture for this recipe doesn't attract one to make it! But it a great, flavorful recipe. It's also easy to make and allows some adjustments if you don't have all of the ingredients on hand. The Greeks have Stifado and this is the Italian equivalent. We had a three pound roast, only 3/4 bottle of red wine, no rosemary or mushrooms. But I used Provincial herbs and the other seasonings as listed. We added carrots and potatoes. It was delicious! I will make it again I am sure.

jfawcettweld from Eau Claire,WI /

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This is by far the
best pot roast I've
ever tasted,
succulent, flavorful
and tender. I used a
7-bone chuck roast,
which worked out
perfectly. Its
compact shape fit
tidily in my brazier
and I only had to
use one bottle of
wine for a 5.3 pound
roast. Why the
recipe called for a
boneless roast is
unclear; cooking it
with the bones in
place added extra
flavor. I followed
the recipe closely,
except I covered the
brazier in the oven
and therefore did
not need to flip the
meat over and back
every half hour. At
best such a piece of
meat is unwieldly,
especially when it's
sitting in a bath of
hot wine. What were
they thinking? At
the end of the
process, I reduced
the sauce a bit, but
it only took me five
minutes. I think if
I had uncovered the
pot, as directed,
most of the sauce
would have cooked
off in the oven.
Anyhow, this one
goes in my recipe
box and will be my
go-to pot roast from
now on.

A Cook from nowhere in particular /

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I was cooking for a smaller group, so I halved the meat and liquid but used the full amount of seasoning and herbs. The sauce and vegetables were amazing, but the meat was a bit dry. I will not use bottom round next time, but I will definitely make this again with a better roast.

bettylovestocook /

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OK, it's a pot roast. But one of the better pot roasts of my life. I used a chuck roast and I asked my wine guy to pick out a barolo-like Italian wine under $15. The porcini, sage and rosemary really gave it a wonderful flavor.

A Cook from Dallas, TX /

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I used a 3 lb. bottom round, and probably a little under 1 bottle of wine (a washington cabernet from a box). It did take 4 1/2 hours, though i was afraid it wasn't tender, as the fork was sticking inside the meat.
When cut, however, i found the roast very tender, though i would probably do a chuck roast next time for a more silky texture.
Served with polenta and i totally agree, if you've got truffles to shave on top of this dish, go for it. It would be a great pairing.
Great fall/winter meal